UK scraps ‘discriminatory’ immigration bond plan after outcry

Britain has scrapped a plan to force people from India, Pakistan, and some African countries to hand over a cash deposit in return for a six-month visa, after the policy caused outrage at home and abroad and exposed a divide in the governing coalition.

The government’s plan involved visitors from Ghana, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka being forced to pay a
£3,000 (US$4,800) deposit in order to receive a visa. The money
would be refunded when the person left the country upon
expiration of their visa. The plan was intended to serve as a
deterrent to overstaying.

A government spokesman said Sunday that the pilot scheme - which
was due to start next month -has been canceled.

“We have decided not to proceed,” a spokesman said Sunday
without elaborating.

The government chose the specific countries because they are
viewed as ‘high risk’ in terms of illegal immigration. In India,
the scheme caused widespread public anger and prompted talks of
retaliatory measures.

There have also been deep rifts within the governing coalition
surrounding the policy, which was backed by the Conservative
Party. The party has historically taken a tougher stance on
immigration than their junior partner, the centre-left Liberal
Democrats.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg initially said that he thought the plan
was worth trying out - but changed his mind after some members of
his party called it discriminatory.

As the country’s 2015 general election looms, Prime Minster David
Cameron is keen to show voters that he is taking a tough stance
on immigration.

Another controversial immigration policy was ditched a few weeks
ago after some politicians and members of the public claimed it
was racist.

The pilot scheme of nationwide advertising vans bearing the
slogan “Go home or face arrest” was dropped in October.

But for voters, immigration remains one of the most important
issues facing Britain. Fears have been ignited by reports in the
right-wing press of “hoards” of Romanians and Bulgarians flocking
to the UK once the European Union’s temporary restriction on
migration and employment expires at the end of the year.

The UK Independence Party (UKIP), which is campaigning for
Britain to leave the EU and halt mass immigration, made
considerable gains in local elections last May. Cameron is
concerned that his Conservative Party may lose votes to the
party. The UKIP has the support of around 10 percent of the
electorate, according to recent opinion polls.

The opposition Labour Party, which is currently ahead of the
Tories in opinion polls, has said that Cameron’s immigration
policy is in tatters. They point to the fact that the government
has failed to significantly curb illegal immigration into Britain
while at the same time alienating countries like India. The
government has been at pains to entice countries like India and
China to invest in the cash-strapped UK.

“It seems David Cameron’s government can’t get anything right
when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration. Investors in
India are now put off from investing in the UK, whilst the Home
Office fail repeatedly to do anything about their failure at our
borders to stop and return illegal immigrants,” Labour Party
spokesman David Hanson said in a statement.

The government, though, insists that its drive to curb net
immigration is on track. It’s planning a number of changes to
immigration laws, which include increasing fines for employers
hiring illegal immigrants, forcing landlords to check their
tenants’ immigration papers, and making it harder for illegal
immigrants to open bank accounts or get driving licenses.